From the Hello site:
All good things come to an end. So it is with sadness that we say goodbye to Hello.
Hello will be shut down on June 11th.
We originally embarked on a mission to make photo sharing easier and more fun with Hello. We plan to keep carrying that torch in new projects to come.
We hope that you continue to enjoy the other sharing products Google offers including Picasa, Picasa Web Albums and Google Talk.
Keep on sharing!
- The Hello Team
[b]Why is Google shutting down Hello?
[/b]
We're shutting down Hello to focus our efforts on the development of Picasa and Picasa Web Albums and other photo sharing efforts, including Talk and the new OpenSocial effort. Our goal continues to be making photo management, editing and sharing as easy as possible.
Since Hello is being shut down, what will happen to my photos? Does Google have access to them?
Since Google has never hosted any photos from the Hello service on its servers, all photos shared using Hello are stored on your computer. Google does not have access to your photos.
How do I get my contacts and chat logs?
XP Users: When you run Hello, the application will automatically export your contacts and chat logs to your computer. This information will be available on My Pictures/Hello/Chat Logs.
Vista Users: If you are a Vista user, the application will not run automatically. Please download and reinstall the chat log export tool (access the Hello site for the link). The chat logs will be exported to My Pictures/Hello/Chat Logs.
If you are experiencing problems, please download and reinstall the chat log export tool (access the Hello site for the link).
What can I use instead of Hello to share my photos?
Using Picasa software on your PC provides a very simple and fast way to share full-resolution photos online -- you can publish photos on Picasa Web Albums simply by selecting a group of photos and clicking the "Web Album" button. In addition, Google Talk provides both instant messaging, file transfer, and PC-to-PC voice calls. Picasa, Picasa Web Albums, and Google Talk are all free.
Other solutions you may wish to explore for photo sharing and instant communications include Skype and AIM. Alternatively, utilities and services such as Jing, Skitch, Kwout, and SnagIt duplicate some of the screenshot and sharing functionality found in Hello.
What if I don't choose to uninstall Hello?
When you start Hello, the application will invite you to uninstall. Even if you choose not to uninstall the software, the service will no longer be operational.